After a 6-3 loss against the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday night, the Brandon Wheat Kings made the short trip to the Bridge City for a contest with the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday night.
The last time Brandon was in Saskatoon, they scored two goals in the last 1:05 and won in extra time. On Saturday night, it looked like the Wheat Kings would get another two points, at least through 40 minutes. However, a poor third period cost the Wheat Kings from getting any points inside of the Sasktel Centre.
Saskatoon scored four goals in the third period to beat Brandon 4-2.
For some, the penalty shot is the most exciting thing in hockey. Fans were treated to one in the first period. But, it wasn’t for the home team. Jonny Hooker was awarded a penalty shot for Brandon, and he made no mistake as he beat Nolan Maier to give Brandon a 1-0 lead at the 11:02 mark. It was Hooker’s third marker of the season.
Up 1-0 after 20, the Wheat Kings played another solid midway frame, and Jiri Patera shut the door in net. With 43 seconds left in the second, Ty Thorpe scored his first goal of the season. The goal matched his total from last year when he scored one goal in 55 games. Braden Schneider and Duncan Pierce assisted on the goal that put Brandon up 2-0 after 40 minutes of play.
Whatever was said in the Blades locker room between the second and third period sparked the home team, and they completely dominated the third.
Majid Kaddoura scored his second goal of the season just 2:25 in to trim the deficit in half. At the 7:50 mark, Cyle McNabb tied the game up with his second of the season. Aidan De La Gorgendiere and Kaddoura notched the assists.
That set the stage for Nolan Kneen a short time later. He scored his fourth marker of the season at the 10:19 mark with Riley McKay earning the assist. The goal proved to be the game winner in front of the nearly 3,200 fans in attendance.
“I just kind of took a shot and I thought someone blocked it, but it just ended up in the net,” said Nolan Kneen on the goal after the game, courtesy of the Saskatoon Blades Hockey Club.
Saskatoon sealed the game late with an empty-net goal. Kyle Crnkovic scored his sixth goal of the season and Tristen Robins got the assist as the Blades surged in the third to pick up two points.
“I thought we played pretty good all game. We stuck to our structure, but I think we had an extra jump in the third period,” Kneen continued.
“Our guys came out with a ton of juice in the third period. Even before the third, we were still getting some chances. I didn’t mind our game,” said head coach Mitch Love, courtesy of the Saskatoon Blades Hockey Club.
The win moves Saskatoon to 11-7-1-1. Their 24 points has them second in the East Division, five behind Prince Albert.
Brandon, meanwhile, is now 8-12.
Wheat Tips:
- Despite dropping the game, Jiri Patera played solid for Brandon, making 33 saves. It was his first full game since returning from injury.
- Both teams generated nothing on the man advantage. Brandon went 0-for-3 while Saskatoon went 0-for-4.
- The face off battle was about as tight as you can get. Saskatoon had the edge, winning 30 while Brandon won 29.
- Saskatoon outshot Brandon in every period. That included 13-7 in the third as they scored four goals that period.
